
Area and Development Studies
PhD Researcher in Area and Development Studies (ESRC 1+3)
Centre for Death and Society (CDAS) / School of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath
Start date: October 2020
Research topic: Repatriationscapes: death and repatriation of human remains among African diaspora. A study into selected cases in London (UK)
Moving away from Western / Eurocentric perspectives and focusing on Afrocentric death perspectives. My PhD research aims to draw to the mainstream; foster understanding of Afrocentric perspectives on death, funerary rituals, and practices; their role within multi-cultural structures in shaping social cultural attitudes; policy, and regulations within the dominant discourse in the UK. I argue that Western narratives and models of theorising death matters have pigeonholed Afrocentric deaths, grief, bereavement and losses in the UK. The gap in academic literature has perpetuated power, authority, and marginalization by creating homogenized attitudes towards migrant communities in death matters in the UK.
George’s most recent blog piece can be found here.
Research supervisors: Dr. John Troyer ( University of Bath) , Professor Bridget Anderson (University of Bristol), Emeritus Professor Tony Walter (University of Bath)
Professional memberships/Positions held:
Member of The Collective for Radical Death Studies (CRDS)
Email: gwg25@bath.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorgeGumisiriza